The League had sent another today; a precious parcel of life unborn with which Tate was entrusted. It was a humbling honor which made Tate both excited and nervous... and maybe a little uncomfortable. It was, of course, too hectic around the bird keeper's home to keep such a fragile thing as an egg, and so once again it would fall to Miss Lulu to tend to it; Kai had come along with her trainer to drop off the egg this time, and as they entered the Hatchery, the Vaporeon seemed anxious and antsy, sniffing the air and pricking her fins. She had been in a strange set of moods since the last egg had arrived... Tate hoped it wasn't serious.

"Kai, no," Tate growled, dragging the Vaporeon away from the double doors that led towards the breeding facilities by her thick, muscular tail. The Vaporeon's clawed feet scraped desperately at the tiled floor, evidently desperate to get into Doctor Grossman's wing of the Hatchery. "You need a male, Kai. We've been over this. We're here to see Miss Lulu, anyway."

The Vaporeon huffed and went limp, giving up on her dreams if only for that moment. She'd have her progeny come hell or high water, she just... had to find a male. In the mean time... they might as well see what sort of wretched creature was going to come out of the egg that wasn't hers, and therefor she didn't care about.

By the time Tate and their Vaporeon make their entrance to the Hatchery, any signs of the mess the last infant made are long gone. Instead of dirt and rock, there is a small inflatable wading pool sitting on the floor of Miss Lulu's room. Against all odds, her dress is still immaculate, but the young lady watching over her charges has the glow of exertion about her. She wipes her forehead quickly and hurries over to Tate, shaking their hands enthusiastically. "Tate! Welcome back!" she says warmly, before turning her attention to the trainer's Pokémon. "Oh! Who might this be? Goodness, you are lovely, aren't you."

She studies the rather unhappy Kai carefully for a moment and nods. "She's feeling clucky, is she? Well, I wish you many blessings for your good health and fertility, dear one. In the meantime, perhaps you could help your trainer to look after this new baby?" Miss Lulu indicates the wading pool, where an expressionless Pokémon floats in the cool water. Despite its lack of features one might ordinarily deem 'cute', the nursemaid looks fondly at the bathing creature. "Say hello now," she coos encouragingly, nodding towards Tate and Kai.

With a splash, the Pokémon leaps to its... feet? It bends forward, two of its limbs folding down in more or less an approximation of how a human might bow. Miss Lulu claps delightedly, her ruffled skirt bouncing with her energetic movement. "What good manners! You're quite the charmer, my little friend."

Emboldened by the praise, the creature's core glitters briefly before it sprays a happy little shower of water over everyone in attendance. Silence follows. Miss Lulu hesitates for a full beat before her usual smile returns and she gives a slightly damp shrug. "...you know, I appreciate how refreshing that was. I suppose you'll all be off then!"

The brunette walks her guests to the door to see them off on the next part of their travels. "It was nice to see you again, Tate! If you should come back here to see the good doctor, please feel free to poke your head into the incubation room and say hello!"

Sweeney is a little surprised to see Lulu approach and be so talkative, the bartender simply deciding to nod in response to what she was saying. It wasn't so much that he had nothing to say himself, more so that his mind was immediately drawn to the strange creature which she had said emerged from the egg. Crouching low, Sweeney goes to run one of his gloved hands over the white fur of the Larvesta, but he finds himself pausing, his hand hovering over the body of the Bug type. Sweeney could feel the intense warmth radiating from the body of this new hatchling, and he found himself frozen in that moment, He wouldn't quite describe it as beautiful - Sweeney was too much of a stoic to consider anything quite so poetic - but his mind was certainly transfixed by this being before him. Finally, he allows his hand to run over the soft fur of the Larvesta, the Bug type reflexively spitting out a few embers and withdrawing from the touch. Blinking behind his helmet, Sweeney takes a moment to pat down the small patches of smoldering fabric on his suit, a sigh escaping his throat. Yet another patch job that would need to be taken care of. Still, it wasn't as if his current bunch were a controlled bunch. As timid as she may seem, the little one would probably fit right in. Reaching into his pack, Sweeney pulls forth a Poke Ball, offering it to the youngster - who happily headbutts the small button on the capsule, allowing herself to be sucked within.

---

Claiming this new lass with one of my outstanding Poke Balls! Much thanks.

By the time Tate and their Vaporeon make their entrance to the Hatchery, any signs of the mess the last infant made are long gone. Instead of dirt and rock, there is a small inflatable wading pool sitting on the floor of Miss Lulu's room. Against all odds, her dress is still immaculate, but the young lady watching over her charges has the glow of exertion about her. She wipes her forehead quickly and hurries over to Tate, shaking their hands enthusiastically. "Tate! Welcome back!" she says warmly, before turning her attention to the trainer's Pokémon. "Oh! Who might this be? Goodness, you are lovely, aren't you."

She studies the rather unhappy Kai carefully for a moment and nods. "She's feeling clucky, is she? Well, I wish you many blessings for your good health and fertility, dear one. In the meantime, perhaps you could help your trainer to look after this new baby?" Miss Lulu indicates the wading pool, where an expressionless Pokémon floats in the cool water. Despite its lack of features one might ordinarily deem 'cute', the nursemaid looks fondly at the bathing creature. "Say hello now," she coos encouragingly, nodding towards Tate and Kai.

With a splash, the Pokémon leaps to its... feet? It bends forward, two of its limbs folding down in more or less an approximation of how a human might bow. Miss Lulu claps delightedly, her ruffled skirt bouncing with her energetic movement. "What good manners! You're quite the charmer, my little friend."

Emboldened by the praise, the creature's core glitters briefly before it sprays a happy little shower of water over everyone in attendance. Silence follows. Miss Lulu hesitates for a full beat before her usual smile returns and she gives a slightly damp shrug. "...you know, I appreciate how refreshing that was. I suppose you'll all be off then!"

The brunette walks her guests to the door to see them off on the next part of their travels. "It was nice to see you again, Tate! If you should come back here to see the good doctor, please feel free to poke your head into the incubation room and say hello!"

Tate has hatched a lv. 1 Staryu!

"Thanks, Lulu!" Tate acknowledges, picking up the young starfish. Kai rolled her eyes, not at all impressed with the echinoderm, but her trainer smiled down at the little critter. "The Mangroves will be a nice place for this rambunctious bugger to play until we figure out what to do it," Tate assured; not one for fish, the Johto native wasn't confident in any personal ability to take care of it, but with all the connections having been made as the Adoption Center manager, Tate knew a good and capable home could be found for the little beaut. "I'm sure we'll see you again soon. Come on Kai -- say bye to Miss Lulu."

Kai sniffed and turned her nose up, but then gave the woman a small nod, before turning and following her trainer out of the now-damp nursery.

It had been just about a week since Gary had dropped off the egg he found to be incubated. He had been given instruction to wait seven days before his return, and throughout the course of the week he couldn’t help but let his mind drift to thoughts about what could be inside. Gary really had no clue where the egg had come from or why it was left on his doorstep, so this egg truly was an enigma. Gary was no stranger to hatching Pokemon eggs; many of his partners on his team had been hatched from eggs under his careful watch. However, this one felt different. It’d been a few years since the last time Gary hatched a Pokemon egg, so the anticipation was welling up in him like it once had many years before when Gary was a fledgling trainer. He grinned nervously as he approached the counter, having patiently waited his turn. “Hi there, I’m here to see what’s hatched from my egg please!”

"Of course, Gary, come right through," trills Miss Lulu, guiding the eager trainer through to her section of the Hatchery. "I'm pleased to tell you that your egg has hatched into quite a striking little gentleman!"

The same colourful kiddie pool from another recent pick-up is on the nursery's floor. Did the attendant drain it and put it away, only to set it back up afresh for this new hatch? Who knows. Miss Lulu's smiling eyes don't give the answer away, even if Gary was thinking to look. "I'm sure he's looking forward to meeting for the first time as much as you are."

Burning with anticipation and curiosity, Gary doesn't hesitate to take a peek at whoever might be awaiting him here. He's surprised to see... nothing but clean, gently rippling water. He glances around the room to see if his new Pokémon might have climbed out of the pool while he was being welcomed in, but still there's nothing in sight, nor are there any damp spots where wet toes might have landed. Confused, Gary looks at Miss Lulu.

She smiles back at him for a moment, before her own brow furrows just slightly. Isn't this trainer happy to see the baby? The young lady turns her attention to the water's surface and starts to giggle.

"Come now," she says, kneeling and dipping her fingers into the pool, swishing the water gently. "We mustn't play tricks." As if by magic, a small brown and pink creature appears out of nowhere. Lulu shakes her head, still smiling broadly. "You rascal."

The Pokémon twirls slowly, letting himself drift with the water's movement, seemingly content to let his pale appendages relax for the time being. Miss Lulu holds out a fingertip and the kelp-like creature allows the girl to 'boop' the end of his snout. She's clearly gleeful about this, but quickly clears her throat and composes herself.

"As you can see, he's clearly mastered one move already. Please take good care of him!"

"Of course, Gary, come right through," trills Miss Lulu, guiding the eager trainer through to her section of the Hatchery. "I'm pleased to tell you that your egg has hatched into quite a striking little gentleman!"

The same colourful kiddie pool from another recent pick-up is on the nursery's floor. Did the attendant drain it and put it away, only to set it back up afresh for this new hatch? Who knows. Miss Lulu's smiling eyes don't give the answer away, even if Gary was thinking to look. "I'm sure he's looking forward to meeting for the first time as much as you are."

Burning with anticipation and curiosity, Gary doesn't hesitate to take a peek at whoever might be awaiting him here. He's surprised to see... nothing but clean, gently rippling water. He glances around the room to see if his new Pokémon might have climbed out of the pool while he was being welcomed in, but still there's nothing in sight, nor are there any damp spots where wet toes might have landed. Confused, Gary looks at Miss Lulu.

She smiles back at him for a moment, before her own brow furrows just slightly. Isn't this trainer happy to see the baby? The young lady turns her attention to the water's surface and starts to giggle.

"Come now," she says, kneeling and dipping her fingers into the pool, swishing the water gently. "We mustn't play tricks." As if by magic, a small brown and pink creature appears out of nowhere. Lulu shakes her head, still smiling broadly. "You rascal."

The Pokémon twirls slowly, letting himself drift with the water's movement, seemingly content to let his pale appendages relax for the time being. Miss Lulu holds out a fingertip and the kelp-like creature allows the girl to 'boop' the end of his snout. She's clearly gleeful about this, but quickly clears her throat and composes herself.

"As you can see, he's clearly mastered one move already. Please take good care of him!"

Gary followed Miss Lulu to a section of the Hatchery where a small kiddie pool was located. Barely able to contain his excitement, Gary’s eyes expectantly looked into the pool only to find a small ripple of water. A bit confused, his eyes then darted about the room only to find himself and Miss Lulu. Was he being pranked? If so, this was cruel and unusual, he thought. Sensing his confusion, Miss Lulu giggled and reached down to the pool. As if on cue, a small creature then materialized in the water, having used its Acid Armor to conceal itself. Gary’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest as he crouched down next to Miss Lulu to examine the small kelp-looking fish.

“Oh my gosh, he’s perfect!” Gary exclaimed, unable to hide his grin. During his studies in Humilau City, he had heard stories of Skrelp and Dragalge but never had the chance to see one up close before. He had longed to dive with them, and now he had the chance. Gary’s thoughts turned to his Kingdra, Devine. “Oh man, you’re going to love Devi,” he chuckled, reaching out slowly to pet the creature. “If Devine is a ‘Devi,’ then I think you’d make a good ‘Levi.’ What do you say, Leviathan?” Gary then thanked Miss Lulu countless times before holding out a Pokeball to carry Leviathan in.

Location: Life and love make fools of us all. Gods reject the existence of love and life.

Posts: 1,542

Quote:

Originally Posted by AshsBabyLapras

Alexander enters the Hatchery and finds a slightly anxious looking Miss Lulu thumbing through her notes. "Oh, you must be the trainer who I was expecting today," she sighs with relief. "I was starting to worry that maybe you'd not gotten the messages, or lost your way somehow... anyway, I'm glad you're here. It's nice to meet you!" She gestures for Alexander to follow her into the nursery.

Aside from the hum of the incubation machines, the room is silent. Flopped over a large cushion, a pale green creature rests on its belly. At first glance it might look to be sleeping, but as the pair step closer, the Pokémon slowly turns its head to examine the humans. The tough skin on its head is hardened into a scowl, but its large red eyes still seem to be assessing the newly arrived trainer.

The nursery attendant crouches down and reaches out as if to lift up the Pokémon, but it's immediately clear that this is an impossible feat for the rather fragile looking young woman. The baby doesn't move an inch. Instead, Miss Lulu kneels beside the motionless creature, gently stroking the large crest on its head. "...she's heavier than she looks," Lulu explains sheepishly. "Oh, that reminds me - she's already eaten a large portion of soil, but I'm sure she'll be needing much more in the coming days. Encourage that appetite so she grows up big and strong, won't you?" She smiles at the Pokémon, whose glare remains unchanged.

"She may also be a little cranky from hunger," Miss Lulu whispers. "She's not been terribly playful. Certainly has her strengths, though!" Just at that moment, Alexander spots a bright blue dustpan sitting on one side of the room, filled with small pebbles. The girl bows her head remorsefully. "I'm sorry, with her feedings, I haven't had much of a chance to tidy up..."

She gives the hatchling another pat and then gets to her feet. "I'll get to that right now," she declares. "Your little lady should be ready to roll whenever you are!"

His entry to the hatchery and meeting with one Miss Lulu only served to increase his intrigue, as the kindly woman gestured him towards what he was given a nod towards. As the pair entered the nursery, he spotted some pale creature slouched over a cushion and as they approached, the creature turned its head, scarlet eyes in a perpetual glare as Alex took a few seconds to register what he saw as Lulu attempted in vain to lift the rocky creature.

A Larvitar. Someone sent me a Larvitar.

As the lady gave him advice regarding the small rock pokemon, and apologised for the gravel lying in the corner, he looked over the young creature. Not particularly playful, a little gluttonous, consumes soil and dirt, and seemingly naturally gifted, judging by the paperwork he had received confirming the presence of two egg moves, namely Iron Head and Stealth Rock, his gaze met the Larvitar as he tilted his head. The pokemon sat up and gave a small stretch as far as her stubby limbs could stretch, before waddling towards the young man, who held a rock ball for the pokemon, offering it to the cranky baby. After a few tense seconds, she tapped the ball, and with a short ding, Alex gave his thanks to Miss Lulu and turned to leave the hatchery, bringing the Larvitar out.

Something this rare could only come from one place, one person...

As he stepped outside, the hefty pokemon in tow beside him, he found himself looking at a woman, her Mawile giving a cheeky, knowing smirk, with those all too familiar green eyes, the lady's black hair and white length as she folded her arms, with an all too familiar smirk across her face, one he hadn't seen for a long time, and wished he hadn't as his confused look on his own face fell to a frown, his cold stare capable of freezing a Magcargo solid in its tracks.

"...so you did get the call after all, Alex."

A deep, aggravated sigh escaped his lips as the female drew closer, clearly entertained at the situation he was in.

Machaldea. Of course it would be the work of Machaldea.

"...right. Shoulda known you'd have a hand in this, chief..."

*Picking up this little lass, and christening her with the name Attila.*

He could have come back a week ago to collect Cyanide, Keith knew. He could have done that. Or, he could have bathed in steak sauce and gone swimming in Carvanha-infested waters. That would have been maybe a bit safer than trying to forcefully remove Cyanide the Umbreon not only from the Ambipom she loved, but also their unborn child. As Keith entered the Hatchery, he vaguely wondered whether any of the employees were fool enough to try such a thing. He supposed the amount of bandages any of them might be sporting would answer that for him- he knew not what kind of a mother Cyanide would be, but judging how intensely she cared for the few things she genuinely liked, he had the feeling there was absolutely no question of removing the Dark-type from her own unhatched offspring. But right now, all he could do was wait. Wait to see how the employees were faring with Cyanide, wait to see how the Umbreon herself as well as her mate were doing, and last but just about as far from least as humanly possible, wait to see how their child was doing.

He could have come back a week ago to collect Cyanide, Keith knew. He could have done that. Or, he could have bathed in steak sauce and gone swimming in Carvanha-infested waters. That would have been maybe a bit safer than trying to forcefully remove Cyanide the Umbreon not only from the Ambipom she loved, but also their unborn child. As Keith entered the Hatchery, he vaguely wondered whether any of the employees were fool enough to try such a thing. He supposed the amount of bandages any of them might be sporting would answer that for him- he knew not what kind of a mother Cyanide would be, but judging how intensely she cared for the few things she genuinely liked, he had the feeling there was absolutely no question of removing the Dark-type from her own unhatched offspring. But right now, all he could do was wait. Wait to see how the employees were faring with Cyanide, wait to see how the Umbreon herself as well as her mate were doing, and last but just about as far from least as humanly possible, wait to see how their child was doing.

(OOC: Let's see the little bundle of fluff! )

Doctor Grossman sat at his desk, meticulously wrapping a bandage around his hand, every now and again undoing the past couple of wraps and rewrapping the cloth to get it a little bit tighter. Noticing Keith approach, the man haphazardly pins the dressing in place and allows the remaining bandaging to dangle for now as he quickly grabs his clipboard from the desk.

"Welcome back, welcome back!" the man shouts and nods, getting up to shake Keith's hand before realizing the state of his own. "Oops, sorry about that," the doctor grins sheepishly, "that Umbreon of yours is a real piece of work. Had to keep her distracted myself so one of my assistants could swap out her egg! Took a bit of my hand in the exchange but I think it was worth it." The doctor unpins the bandage before continuing to wrap up the remainder of the dressing and repin it, waving over a staff member, who promptly runs to the back.

The staff member reappears soon enough, guiding Cyanide back into the building as Doctor Goodman grabs his camera and begins leading the group over to the incubators. A small brown egg with a light cream colored bottom sits in the sole occupied incubator of this section of the building, pictures of Cyanide and Pom displayed on the case. It takes a moment before small cracks start to form on the shell, and the doctor goes complete mad with his camera, entering a picture taking frenzy. The cracking is slow, but after a moment a small hole forms as a piece of the egg falls away, and a small eye peeks out before the section of shell below is kicked through, causing the egg to crack clean open. The small, long eared vulpine sits, staring into the world, a small piece of the brown egg still stuck on its head. Normally the doctor would begin a quick examination at this point, but the stark contrast of color between the egg shell and the fur of the newborn has clearly put the room to shock, a soft white tone where all had expected brown. Doctor Grossman's mouth stretches to a grin that reaches from ear to ear as his camera takes one final click before he leans in close to the Eevee and begins his examination as usual.

"Well, she's certainly not what I had expected, to say the least. A beautiful baby girl." Handing his notes over to Keith he takes a few more pictures. "Just give those a sign and she's yours to take home!"

Keith has hatched a lv.1 shiny female Eevee! She also has the following Egg move:

Doctor Grossman sat at his desk, meticulously wrapping a bandage around his hand, every now and again undoing the past couple of wraps and rewrapping the cloth to get it a little bit tighter. Noticing Keith approach, the man haphazardly pins the dressing in place and allows the remaining bandaging to dangle for now as he quickly grabs his clipboard from the desk.

"Welcome back, welcome back!" the man shouts and nods, getting up to shake Keith's hand before realizing the state of his own. "Oops, sorry about that," the doctor grins sheepishly, "that Umbreon of yours is a real piece of work. Had to keep her distracted myself so one of my assistants could swap out her egg! Took a bit of my hand in the exchange but I think it was worth it." The doctor unpins the bandage before continuing to wrap up the remainder of the dressing and repin it, waving over a staff member, who promptly runs to the back.

The staff member reappears soon enough, guiding Cyanide back into the building as Doctor Goodman grabs his camera and begins leading the group over to the incubators. A small brown egg with a light cream colored bottom sits in the sole occupied incubator of this section of the building, pictures of Cyanide and Pom displayed on the case. It takes a moment before small cracks start to form on the shell, and the doctor goes complete mad with his camera, entering a picture taking frenzy. The cracking is slow, but after a moment a small hole forms as a piece of the egg falls away, and a small eye peeks out before the section of shell below is kicked through, causing the egg to crack clean open. The small, long eared vulpine sits, staring into the world, a small piece of the brown egg still stuck on its head. Normally the doctor would begin a quick examination at this point, but the stark contrast of color between the egg shell and the fur of the newborn has clearly put the room to shock, a soft white tone where all had expected brown. Doctor Grossman's mouth stretches to a grin that reaches from ear to ear as his camera takes one final click before he leans in close to the Eevee and begins his examination as usual.

"Well, she's certainly not what I had expected, to say the least. A beautiful baby girl." Handing his notes over to Keith he takes a few more pictures. "Just give those a sign and she's yours to take home!"

Keith has hatched a lv.1 shiny female Eevee! She also has the following Egg move:

Tickle

Keith gave a small chuckle as Dr. Grossman hastily rethought his handshake, considering the state his hand was in. "Yeah, that's Cyanide for you," he nodded. "I think you can guess why I elected not to pick her up a week ago."

Before long, Keith smiled at the sight of Cyanide. The Umbreon looked relatively pleased to see him, though would occasionally throw threatening glares in Dr. Grossman's direction, as though daring him to give her an excuse to finish what she started. But the Umbreon couldn't stay mad for very long, and it was very obvious why in a minute, as they were all led over to an incubator, the Egg within earning a loving smile from Cyanide the likes of which one rarely gets to see from her.

And as Keith could see, cracks were forming in the shell. Cyanide was beaming with motherly pride as her child started to hatch. The cracks grew larger, until a small hole came to be, a shard of shell falling away to reveal an eye getting its very first peek at the world. And then, the rest of the shell was destroyed by a flurry of kicks. Cyanide beamed even wider as she saw just how feisty her white-furred child- wait a sec. White-furred?

As the Egg fell open, so too did Keith's mouth, for the Eevee sitting before them looking all cute and happy was completely devoid of the usual brown fur for the species. Rather, this Eevee's fur was as white as freshly fallen snow. He knew damn well what an Eevee was at this point, but at this unexpected sight, all he could do was take out his Pokédex and point it at Cyanide's daughter.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. A Normal-type," said Keith's Pokédex. "Eevee's genetic code is irregular, enabling evolution into one of eight different forms depending on various stimuli. It does this to adapt to its changing environments. This specimen is Shiny."

Keith was stunned. There was still a remnant of brown eggshell on the Eevee's head, further highlighting the stark contrast between what they expected and what they got. Even the staff was in shock, the sheer unexpectedness of this event keeping them from doing an examination of the newborn. For a moment, anyway- Dr. Grossman quickly proceeded to examine the newborn. Cyanide gave a low Growl, and though none present could understand what she was saying (save for her mate and her daughter, of course), Keith knew she had to be threatening to end Dr. Grossman's life if he hurt her baby. Ultimately a needless threat, of course, Keith knew, and so even with that morbid knowledge, he worried not. And indeed, Dr. Grossman approached Keith, confirming the Eevee as a female (even more of a rarity than they thought, Keith realized, considering the vast majority of Eevee tended to be male), and told him he was free to take her as soon as he signed some papers. And so Keith signed away, while the Shiny Eevee hopped down, meeting her parents for the first time. Hers was a bubbly, energetic, and cheerful personality, Keith could tell right away- she was jumping up and down, licking both her parents' faces.

Finally, Keith finished up with all the signing he had to do, and he was able to kneel down before the family. "May I?" he asked Cyanide. In response, Cyanide gave him a look, and in said look, communicated in no uncertain terms the gruesome fate that would befall Keith should he harm the little one. It also, however, communicated her confidence that said gruesome fate was highly unlikely to befall Keith, one of the few living beings who had her complete trust. And the look Keith gave in turn communicated his acknowledgement of this threat, and his agreement with the confidence that it would ultimately prove needless. After a moment of thoroughly nonverbal communication, Cyanide gave a small smile and nod, and gently nudged her daughter in Keith's direction. And next thing Keith knew, there was a flash of white fur, and he was Tackled to the floor, chuckling uncontrollably as the happy licking of the Shiny Eevee Tickled his face. "Ha ha, OK, wow, alright, yeah, I'm happy to meet you, too!" he smiled. At last, the Shiny allowed Keith to sit up. She sat on his lap, smiling up at him, her white tail wagging happily. "Hello," Keith smiled, stroking the Shiny Eevee's fluffy little head. "I'm Keith, I'm gonna be your Trainer, alright? Now, your mom's a part of my team as well, but your dad has a different Trainer. You won't see him quite as often, but he has my full permission to come and see his daughter whenever he wants," he added, looking over at the Ambipom with a friendly smile and making damn sure Pom could hear this.

Eevee tilted her head. "Ooeee?" she squealed cutely.

"So... What you need now is a nickname, little one," Keith smiled, turning back to the bundle of snowy fluff sitting on his lap. "Cyanide, any ideas?" he added, consulting his Umbreon.

Cyanide gave an emphatic nod at Keith's guess. "Umbre. Umbreon. Eon!" she confirmed, nuzzling her daughter. When they returned home, she would have someone translate for Keith, translate why she thought Eon was the perfect name for her little one. She knew that her daughter was destined for greatness, destined to grow up to be amazing, to surpass any Eeveelution known to man or Mankey, no matter what she decided to evolve into, or even if she decided against evolution altogether. In naming her Eon, Cyanide hoped the name would bring her luck, and the power and potential of any and every Eeveelution.

Keith didn't get any of this just yet. Well, not completely- judging by the general Eeveelution naming scheme, he had a vague idea as to where the name Eon came from, though Cyanide's exact reasoning wasn't clear to him just yet. Nevertheless, he smiled and nodded, before turning back to the Shiny Eevee on his lap. "Then Eon it is," he said. "Welcome to the family, little one," he added, producing a Premier Ball from his backpack. Squealing happily, Eon playfully pressed her paw to the button, and was caught instantly. Cyanide, however, tapped the button once more to send Eon right back out again. Keith chuckled at this, raising no objections. After this, all that remained was for Eon to kiss her father goodbye, before climbing up on Cyanide's back to ride the whole way home.

OOC: ...Hooooolyyyyyy craaaaaaaap. I just... I don't even... wh-whaaaat? Uh... I think it's safe to say that whatever I expected, it sure as hell wasn't this. Nevertheless, very happily collecting my Shiny female Eevee with Tickle in a Premier Ball (#2 of 5), naming her Eon, and declaring her Ability to be Adaptability. Oh, and picking up my Umbreon as well, naturally.

Patches was walking at a brisk pace while snuggly holding an egg in her arms. “I’m not sure why this egg arrived on our doorstep but I’m pretty excited to find out what’s going to hatch from it, are you excited too Mio?” She says to the Pikachu on her shoulder. Mio lets out a happy “Pika!” in response, for once she is also feeling excited for what’s to come. Normally, Mio is filled with worry about what her trainer will get into next but this time she can agree that hatching this egg actually is a pretty exciting idea. After finally reaching her destination, Patches bursts through the Hatchery’s doors while being careful not to disturb the egg. She runs right up to the first person she sees, a woman in a ruffled pastel dress, and places the egg into her arms without any second thought. “Please take care of this for me!”

Doctor Grossman sat at his desk, meticulously wrapping a bandage around his hand, every now and again undoing the past couple of wraps and rewrapping the cloth to get it a little bit tighter. Noticing Keith approach, the man haphazardly pins the dressing in place and allows the remaining bandaging to dangle for now as he quickly grabs his clipboard from the desk.

"Welcome back, welcome back!" the man shouts and nods, getting up to shake Keith's hand before realizing the state of his own. "Oops, sorry about that," the doctor grins sheepishly, "that Umbreon of yours is a real piece of work. Had to keep her distracted myself so one of my assistants could swap out her egg! Took a bit of my hand in the exchange but I think it was worth it." The doctor unpins the bandage before continuing to wrap up the remainder of the dressing and repin it, waving over a staff member, who promptly runs to the back.

The staff member reappears soon enough, guiding Cyanide back into the building as Doctor Goodman grabs his camera and begins leading the group over to the incubators. A small brown egg with a light cream colored bottom sits in the sole occupied incubator of this section of the building, pictures of Cyanide and Pom displayed on the case. It takes a moment before small cracks start to form on the shell, and the doctor goes complete mad with his camera, entering a picture taking frenzy. The cracking is slow, but after a moment a small hole forms as a piece of the egg falls away, and a small eye peeks out before the section of shell below is kicked through, causing the egg to crack clean open. The small, long eared vulpine sits, staring into the world, a small piece of the brown egg still stuck on its head. Normally the doctor would begin a quick examination at this point, but the stark contrast of color between the egg shell and the fur of the newborn has clearly put the room to shock, a soft white tone where all had expected brown. Doctor Grossman's mouth stretches to a grin that reaches from ear to ear as his camera takes one final click before he leans in close to the Eevee and begins his examination as usual.

"Well, she's certainly not what I had expected, to say the least. A beautiful baby girl." Handing his notes over to Keith he takes a few more pictures. "Just give those a sign and she's yours to take home!"

Keith has hatched a lv.1 shiny female Eevee! She also has the following Egg move:

Tickle

As Pom followed Cyanide back into the building, the Ambipom tried his best to contain his excitement. This was it..it was time to see their child finally hatch!
But despite his excitement, Pom couldn't help but feel a little nervous as well. While the Ambipom had no doubt Cyanide would be a great mother, Pom couldn't but wonder if he was truly fit to be a good father.

Once Cyanide had reunited with her trainer, a sense of disappointment grew within Pom. It wasn't like he had forgotten that Jake was missing, but it wasn't until he had seen Keith that it had hit him. His trainer wouldn't be here to see the baby hatch.
As the group was led to an incubator, Pom thoughts drifted elsewhere, if only for a while. He could worry about his trainer another time, but what was about to happen next was an opportunity the Ambipom certainly didn't want to miss.

Upon noticing the brown and light cream egg, a large smile formed on Pom's face, his previous excitement returning in full force. Watching the egg intently, Pom's smile grew brighter then ever before as a small piece piece broke off, revealing a small eye inside.

The rest of the egg then fell apart in a flurry of kicks from the baby, revealing the white-furred Eevee to the world.

Wait...that wasn't quite right. Pom had seen a fair few Eevee's, including Cyanide, but never one with a white coat..unless this was?

Whipping out his Pokedex, Keith scanned the Eevee pup, confirming the Amibpom's suspicions. His child was a shiny Pokemon!

Once the shock had worn off, Dr. Grossman went to inspect the baby, after receiving a threatening growl from Cyanide of course. Once the doctor had finished his examination, he announced the Eevee pup to be a beautiful baby girl.

With her examination complete, the Eevee pup hopped down before licking Pom's face, causing her to let out a laugh. He was at a complete loss of words at what to say, and so remained quiet as his daughter tackled Keith, before using her Tickle attack.
Wait a minute...could Eevee's learn Tickle...or had his ability to use it been passed down to his daughter? Pom wasn't quite sure, but couldn't help but feel proud regardless, a bright smile still plastered on his face.
Said smile fell slightly upon Keith discussing living arrangements with the baby Eevee. It had already been decided before that Keith was to keep the Eevee pup, but hearing the man say it still left him feeling sad. But that was selfish, wasn't it?
Leaving his daughter with Keith was best for the Eevee, considering Jake wasn't currently in the picture. On top of that, Pom couldn't bear to tear Cyanide and the baby apart. If that left him with having to see his daughter whenever he visited, then that was the price he would pay.
Noticing that Keith had given him a friendly smile, Pom snapped out of his train of thought, before giving the man a swift nod.

Once that was over, it came time to pick a name for the Eevee pup. Instead of saying anything, Pom left Cyanide to naming the baby...ending in the Eevee pup gaining the name Eon.

With Eon's name out of the way, Keith caught the shiny Eevee in a Premier Ball, making Eon an official part of his team. With nothing left to do, Keith and the others began to leave, but not before Eon gave Pom a kiss goodbye.

His smile returning in full force, Pom waved to both Cyanide and Eon.

"Cyanide..take good care of Eon!" Pom called out, before realizing the stupidity of his words. Of course Cyanide was going to take great care of Eon...Pom knew she would. Still..Pom couldn't help but worry. If Eon was anything like her mother, then the Eevee could very well get herself in trouble if she wasn't careful.

"Oh! And I'll be sure to visit real soon! I love you both!" Pom added, before the group left the building, leaving the Ambipom to himself.

With no trainer or home to return to, Pom exited the Hatchery with a different purpose. He was going to search all around..and he was going to find his trainer..no matter what it took!

One day, there was an Egg. Unassuming, unremarkable, seemingly irrelevant. It rested on the bottom of a lake on the outskirts of the now-ruined Salin City, once the capital of Cascadia Archipelago.

Unknown to the world, this Egg was born from two very special souls - Pokémon raised by two members of Fizzytopia's Elite Three, Lucas and Marion. Nobody knows exactly when it was conceived - nobody knows that it was conceived. And so it continues to mature, undisturbed, until the day it hatches. Will it remain unknown after that?

---

Breeding my Gastly with the stats below with Ex-Admiral Insane's Tynamo; it's been agreed that I'll keep the hatchling.

Nickname: ShiouGender: MaleLevel: 29Ability: LevitateNature: QuirkyBall: PokéBallHold Item: NoneObtained: Trade with Marion EtteLevel-up Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look, Curse, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Payback, Shadow BallEM/MT Moves: Fire Punch, Giga Drain, Ice Punch, Snatch, Thunder Punch, UproarTM/HM Moves: Sludge BombBio: Shiou was born a long time ago, hatched from an egg by the Queen of Souls and current member of Fizzytopia's Elite Three, Marion Ette. After years under her care, he was gifted to Professor Rorik Pine to aid the foreigner in his research, but the man proved inept at both bonding with it or earning its respect. After a short while, when Rorik was saved by a passing Sai Hajimoto, Shiou became impressed by the monk's power - essentially the antithesis of the incompetenet human he'd been stuck with - and the ghost quickly followed the Saigonese man, defecting from Rorik's team to join Sai's ranks.

Patches was running so fast that she didn’t even manage to completely stop when she reached the door to the Hatchery. She pushed the door open but the door was a bit slower than she was so she partially ran into it which caused her to trip and stumble once she was inside. Next thing she knew she had completely fallen onto the floor, but this wasn't about to stop her! She does a very awkward speed crawl while also making her way back onto her feet as she makes her way toward the front desk as fast as she can manage. Her Pikachu, Mio, was already waiting on the counter, ignoring her trainers fumbling entrance. Once Patches reaches the counter she puts her hands on it in order to stabilize herself. “Hello! I dropped an egg off last week and I think today is the day it was supposed to hatch! Please tell me it did!!!”

Hearing the commotion that Patches has stirred up by just trying to make her way into the Hatchery, Miss Lulu scurries out to the lobby to see what's going on. Stumbling over herself, the trainer staggers up to the front desk, met by the nursery attendant's usual warm smile. Miss Lulu rubs Mio behind the ears as she nods at Patches' excited words. "Yes, of course I remember you," she says reassuringly, but then the brunette's face turns solemn. "...I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but that was no egg, just a strangely rounded rock."

She barely has time to watch the trainer's expression before she cracks a grin. "...no, no, of course I'm kidding!" Miss Lulu giggles. "Oh, I do hope you didn't take my little gag too seriously. You just seem so thrilled to see the new baby, and... well. Come through, come through!" She beckons Patches and more or less skips through to the nursery area. As the two women pass through the doorway, Miss Lulu bows deeply, her conscience having caught up with her. "I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't joke like that!"

Looking sheepish, the nursemaid drops to the floor alongside the hatchling, who immediately scuttles over and places his tiny front feet up on Lulu's leg. It's obvious that this Pokémon isn't exactly light, but the young lady in her ruffled attire doesn't seem at all bothered by the weight bearing down on her. "I guess I've just been in a silly mood from playing with this little guy," she says, letting her tongue hang out of her mouth as she shakes her head from side to side. Though this Pokémon's face seems more like a mask than anything, he's clearly delighted and makes his own best ridiculous face back at her. Miss Lulu giggles again and the baby beams with pride.

"I'm sure he'll bring a lot of joy into your life," she says, turning her attention back to Patches. "He's something special!" Affectionately, she strokes the horn-like protrusion coming from the Pokémon's head, but winces and pulls her hand away after a moment or two. She blows some warm air onto her fingers, rubbing her hands together to get the blood flowing again. "And a pretty cool customer, too, I must say. I hope you'll get along!"

Patches has hatched a lv. 1 male Bergmite!

As Patches is heading back out on her next adventure, a rather muscular young man holds the door open for her. He's inside the Hatchery before Miss Lulu has a chance to get back to her quarters, but she was anticipating his arrival anyway. "Ah, hello Jayson! How wonderful it is to be able to introduce trainers to multiple new arrivals in a single morning!" Wasting no more time, she hurries back down the hall, leading the way for the next expectant trainer of the day.

For just a second, Miss Lulu gives her still chilly hands a shake, flexing her fingers as she scans the room. "Now, where did that cheeky little lady get to this time..." Jayson is startled by a sharp poke at one of his legs. Fortunately, the thick brown denim he sports protects his calf from any real pain from the claw jabbing at him. In the blink of an eye, Miss Lulu is on the creature, scooping her up before her segmented stinging tail can be put into use. The young woman shakes her head sternly, clucking her tongue. "Uh-uh, we mustn't play tricks on Jayson now. He's here to look after you. Let's be nice, okay?"

The purple tangle of claws locks the trainer in her gaze, but there's no malice or anger in her enormous blue eyes. She's merely trying to offer a greeting the best way she knows how. Instead of another strike, she tries waving her pedipalps from side to side. "There, that's much better," coos Miss Lulu encouragingly. After a quick farewell cuddle, she lifts the Pokémon up towards the considerably taller trainer's arms. "She's a scamp, but a good girl at heart. You'll take good care of her, won't you?"

Athena had wrapped the Pokemon egg in a soft blanket, hoping to keep it warm on her walk to the Hatchery. Though it was summer time, it got chilly as the sun set and the wind picked up. She had neglected to bring a coat for herself, more focused on delivering the egg she had suddenly received to its destination. It was like any other Pokemon egg, warm and smooth, but had no discernible markings to give the trainer any clue who might be inside. Athena knew, of course, that most baby Pokemon were cute, and she was ecstatic to have a potential new darling to train.

Relieved the Hatchery was still open, Athena made her way inside, appreciating that the A/C wasn't on too high. Instead, the shop was warm and welcoming, decorated in nursery-appropriate colors. The girl approached the counter with a smile, and handed over her egg for incubation. On her way out, she wrapped the blanket she had brought around her shoulders.

As Patches is heading back out on her next adventure, a rather muscular young man holds the door open for her. He's inside the Hatchery before Miss Lulu has a chance to get back to her quarters, but she was anticipating his arrival anyway. "Ah, hello Jayson! How wonderful it is to be able to introduce trainers to multiple new arrivals in a single morning!" Wasting no more time, she hurries back down the hall, leading the way for the next expectant trainer of the day.

For just a second, Miss Lulu gives her still chilly hands a shake, flexing her fingers as she scans the room. "Now, where did that cheeky little lady get to this time..." Jayson is startled by a sharp poke at one of his legs. Fortunately, the thick brown denim he sports protects his calf from any real pain from the claw jabbing at him. In the blink of an eye, Miss Lulu is on the creature, scooping her up before her segmented stinging tail can be put into use. The young woman shakes her head sternly, clucking her tongue. "Uh-uh, we mustn't play tricks on Jayson now. He's here to look after you. Let's be nice, okay?"

The purple tangle of claws locks the trainer in her gaze, but there's no malice or anger in her enormous blue eyes. She's merely trying to offer a greeting the best way she knows how. Instead of another strike, she tries waving her pedipalps from side to side. "There, that's much better," coos Miss Lulu encouragingly. After a quick farewell cuddle, she lifts the Pokémon up towards the considerably taller trainer's arms. "She's a scamp, but a good girl at heart. You'll take good care of her, won't you?"

Jayson had barely slept a wink all week. He was far too anxious, the mystery of the Enigma Egg plagued his mind. Its contents were unknown to him, for all he knew it could be one of his favourite Pokemon or possibly one of the few Pokemon he despised! He pleaded to Arceus, please could he just have a Pokemon that he liked, he didn't want to abandon a newborn but there was a chance he would have to. As he makes his way into the Hatchery, Jayson passes another trainer, a young woman smitten with her new acquisition. Jayson hoped he would be that happy, surely he was due for a little luck.

Making his way towards the counter, he is met by the kindly carer Miss Lulu, who seemed ecstatic about the rush of activity this morning. She led him down the hall, Jayson had to steady himself, he was close to bursting with excitement. They finally reach a room and while Miss Lulu is looking for his new Pokemon, Jayson quickly becomes acquainted with it. A sharp jab in the leg sees Jayson spin around to face a Skorupi. Miss Lulu quickly scoops the bug type up, not wanting it to strike again.

"Hahaha, it's alright I have dealt with much worse than that", chuckled Jayson. He reached out to accept the Skorupi, she was fairly big for a newborn, larger than any other Skorupi he had seen in fact. She was definitely a great fit for his team as well, her sharp stingers and armoured carapace would serve her well in the fights to come, now he just needed to think of a name for her. Racking his brain for a fitting heroine, Jayson eventually settled on one, Trieu. "How do you like the name Trieu?" The Skorupi chatters happily, her white mandibles grate together. Holding up a spare Pokeball, Jayson taps it on the Skorupi's head, drawing it inside. "Thank you for everything Miss Lulu! I will take great care of her, hopefully I will see you again soon." Jayson waved goodbye and made his way out of the Hatchery, absolutely stoked with his new Skorupi.

Hearing the commotion that Patches has stirred up by just trying to make her way into the Hatchery, Miss Lulu scurries out to the lobby to see what's going on. Stumbling over herself, the trainer staggers up to the front desk, met by the nursery attendant's usual warm smile. Miss Lulu rubs Mio behind the ears as she nods at Patches' excited words. "Yes, of course I remember you," she says reassuringly, but then the brunette's face turns solemn. "...I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but that was no egg, just a strangely rounded rock."

She barely has time to watch the trainer's expression before she cracks a grin. "...no, no, of course I'm kidding!" Miss Lulu giggles. "Oh, I do hope you didn't take my little gag too seriously. You just seem so thrilled to see the new baby, and... well. Come through, come through!" She beckons Patches and more or less skips through to the nursery area. As the two women pass through the doorway, Miss Lulu bows deeply, her conscience having caught up with her. "I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't joke like that!"

Looking sheepish, the nursemaid drops to the floor alongside the hatchling, who immediately scuttles over and places his tiny front feet up on Lulu's leg. It's obvious that this Pokémon isn't exactly light, but the young lady in her ruffled attire doesn't seem at all bothered by the weight bearing down on her. "I guess I've just been in a silly mood from playing with this little guy," she says, letting her tongue hang out of her mouth as she shakes her head from side to side. Though this Pokémon's face seems more like a mask than anything, he's clearly delighted and makes his own best ridiculous face back at her. Miss Lulu giggles again and the baby beams with pride.

"I'm sure he'll bring a lot of joy into your life," she says, turning her attention back to Patches. "He's something special!" Affectionately, she strokes the horn-like protrusion coming from the Pokémon's head, but winces and pulls her hand away after a moment or two. She blows some warm air onto her fingers, rubbing her hands together to get the blood flowing again. "And a pretty cool customer, too, I must say. I hope you'll get along!"

Patches has hatched a lv. 1 male Bergmite!

Patches, who was very much unable to contain her excitement, was leaning over the counter toward Miss Lulu anxiously waiting to hear the news. The news was very unexpected, apparently what she had brought wasn’t an egg at all and was just a rock. Patches’ smile begins to grow wider as she momentarily imagines what it’s going to be like taking care of such a special looking rock but, she doesn’t have time to think about it for long before Miss Lulu explains that she was kidding. She is momentarily disappointed but realizes that there is still probably a special rock out there for her somewhere.

Filled with eagerness, she begins to follow Miss Lulu through a door into the nursery. Miss Lulu apologizes again for the joke and Patches responds with a smile then begins to glance around the room looking for the hatchling. That’s when the nursemaid drops to the floor and Patches watches as a Bergmite happily hurries over to her and they seem to have some fun being silly together before she introduces Patches to the Pokemon.

Patches can hardly believe it, there is what looks like a living rock made out of ice right in front of her. It seems like she is already getting her very own special rock that she had momentarily hoped for earlier after all. “My very own rock!!” She says as she runs up and kneels down onto her knees so she can get a closer look. That’s when the Bergmite gives Patches that same silly look it was trying to mimic earlier. Patches giggles at the silly Pokemon and then reaches out to pet him a couple times before having to pull away from the coldness. Her eyes are filling up with happy tears as she looks at her new Pokemon. “I’m just so happy, I know you’re going to fit right in! I can’t wait until you get to meet everyone! I think I’m going to call you… Yuki!” She stands back up and turns to Miss Lulu and then bows over and over. “Thank you so much for taking care of my egg! I couldn’t be happier!! Thank you! We will be on our way now, but if I ever run into another egg I’ll definitely be leaving it in your care again!” She turns toward Yuki and bends down, grabbing onto his sides in an attempt to pick him up so that she can carry him out the door but has no such luck. “Oh you’re quite heavy aren’t you…”

Mio, who had been watching this entire time, walks over to Yuki and has a little happy chat with him. He nods and walks over to Patches indicating that he is ready to go. “Oh, so you’ll just be following us then? That’s a great idea!” Patches begins to practically skip out of The Hatchery. She waves bye to Miss Lulu on her way out the door and also thanks the trainer who was kind enough to hold the door for her and the Bergmite that was following closely behind. “Welcome to the family, Yuki!”

Picking up my lv. 1 male Bergmite named Yuki, putting him into a standard pokeball, and declaring his ability as Own Tempo. Thank you!

Athena wouldn't call herself punctual. In fact, she preferred the concept of being 'fashionably late', arriving to events or parties after they had already started, and sliding comfortably into the already created atmosphere.

She had no idea what was early or late in this case. The Hatchery had informed her to come back in a weeks time, and here she was. She rationalized that, whichever it was, it wouldn't matter. After all, she was recieving a new friend. She only hoped that she hadn't kept the new arrival waiting too long. She had brought Mille along, thinking the little one might like the bright and cuddly Stufful. Mille had refused to be carried on the way, nearly giving Athena a black eye in the process. Athena had given up on bringing her, until she noticed the stuffed Pokemon had followed her when leaving her Secret Base. The pair entered the Hatchery, both equally curious as to what would be waiting.

As Athena sauntered into the Hatchery, she found the front room unstaffed and devoid of both people and Pokémon. Thinking perhaps she was earlier than expected, the trainer waits in the lobby area for a while. Fortunately she has her Stufful for company, but the clock ticks away and still nobody else arrives. There's no bell at the front desk to ring in order to summon a staff member - after all, a sharp noise like that could all too easily wake a baby, or interrupt some... alone time being had in Dr Grossman's department. Athena decides to investigate. She wanders through the hall and catches the sound of a faint voice. Following it, she finds Miss Lulu, curled up on the thick rug and singing a lullaby to... a rocking chair.

It's certainly a pleasant enough melody, but it's easy enough to see how an onlooker might assume the nursemaid has turned a little eccentric. Too many days with only silent eggs as her companions? Athena makes some noise to get the possibly unhinged Lulu's attention. There's a sudden scrabbling and Miss Lulu wails "oh, no, no!" Snatching up a nearby blanket, she reaches under the rocking chair, clucking and murmuring words that Athena can't quite make out.

The nursery attendant backs up, bumping her head against the underside of the chair, setting it in motion. Slightly wobbly, the brunette in her ruffled dress stands up, cradling something. She finally seems to notice that there's a trainer in the room with her.

"Oh!" she says, instinctively holding her bundle closer to her body. Then she relaxes, recognising the girl who's mysteriously materialized before her. "Oh," she repeats, but in a different, warmer tone. Then she steals a glance at the clock on the wall. Again, "Oh." This time, it's a groan of slow realization.

"I am so sorry," Miss Lulu says, her face reddening. "This little one has needed some extra care since he hatched." Her brow furrows with concern as she gazes down at what Athena is now at least relatively confident is a Pokémon. "I expect it's difficult for them when they're born into an artificial structure like this and not safely underground," she laments. "It's really no wonder that he'd want to hide, the poor dear."

Miss Lulu spots Mille skulking about behind her trainer. "Thank goodness it's not a bird Pokémon," she sighs with relief. "You don't have any with you, do you? Oh, but if you had an Electric type...!"

The creature swaddled in the blanket starts to move around, and a pair of bicolour mandibles appear, then two large round eyes. He also seems more at ease once he sees Athena, his jaw clicking happily.

"He'll be just fine, of course," declares Miss Lulu. "But I certainly hope he'll have a trainer to help him build up his confidence." She gives Athena a meaningful smile.

As Athena sauntered into the Hatchery, she found the front room unstaffed and devoid of both people and Pokémon. Thinking perhaps she was earlier than expected, the trainer waits in the lobby area for a while. Fortunately she has her Stufful for company, but the clock ticks away and still nobody else arrives. There's no bell at the front desk to ring in order to summon a staff member - after all, a sharp noise like that could all too easily wake a baby, or interrupt some... alone time being had in Dr Grossman's department. Athena decides to investigate. She wanders through the hall and catches the sound of a faint voice. Following it, she finds Miss Lulu, curled up on the thick rug and singing a lullaby to... a rocking chair.

It's certainly a pleasant enough melody, but it's easy enough to see how an onlooker might assume the nursemaid has turned a little eccentric. Too many days with only silent eggs as her companions? Athena makes some noise to get the possibly unhinged Lulu's attention. There's a sudden scrabbling and Miss Lulu wails "oh, no, no!" Snatching up a nearby blanket, she reaches under the rocking chair, clucking and murmuring words that Athena can't quite make out.

The nursery attendant backs up, bumping her head against the underside of the chair, setting it in motion. Slightly wobbly, the brunette in her ruffled dress stands up, cradling something. She finally seems to notice that there's a trainer in the room with her.

"Oh!" she says, instinctively holding her bundle closer to her body. Then she relaxes, recognising the girl who's mysteriously materialized before her. "Oh," she repeats, but in a different, warmer tone. Then she steals a glance at the clock on the wall. Again, "Oh." This time, it's a groan of slow realization.

"I am so sorry," Miss Lulu says, her face reddening. "This little one has needed some extra care since he hatched." Her brow furrows with concern as she gazes down at what Athena is now at least relatively confident is a Pokémon. "I expect it's difficult for them when they're born into an artificial structure like this and not safely underground," she laments. "It's really no wonder that he'd want to hide, the poor dear."

Miss Lulu spots Mille skulking about behind her trainer. "Thank goodness it's not a bird Pokémon," she sighs with relief. "You don't have any with you, do you? Oh, but if you had an Electric type...!"

The creature swaddled in the blanket starts to move around, and a pair of bicolour mandibles appear, then two large round eyes. He also seems more at ease once he sees Athena, his jaw clicking happily.

"He'll be just fine, of course," declares Miss Lulu. "But I certainly hope he'll have a trainer to help him build up his confidence." She gives Athena a meaningful smile.

Athena has hatched a lv. 1 male Grubbin!

Athena checked her phone a few times while waiting. She compared the digital time to the clock on the wall, only a couple seconds off. Mille had been biding her time wandering around the Lobby, sniffing occasionally at chairs or spots on the ground. Athena chewed at a nail with slight anxiety. Had they already closed for the day? Calling Mille's attention, she made her way down the hall, coming upon a strange sight.

A woman was on the floor, singing. After a quick look around, Athena couldn't see anything she might be singing to. She didn't want to immediately label her as off her rocker, but Athena still wasn't quite sure what was going on. She gently cleared her throat to announce her presence. This startled Miss Lulu, as well as whatever was under the chair she was serenading.

After an awkward scramble, during which Athena could only watch in confusion, the woman stood and held out the bundle of blankets in her arms. Mille made a squeak as the bundle began to move, and two bright orange pincers emerged. Cautiously, the trianer took the Pokemon from Miss Lulu, and moved the blankets out of the way to get a better look.

"Hi, you," she smiled, keeping her voice low enough to not startle the Bug type. He clicked his mandibles together joyfully, and Athena pulled her face back a bit in order to not get her hair caught in its jaws. She knelt down and placed the Pokemon next to Mille, who stuck a paw out in greeting. The Grubbin clamped down on her limb and, much to Athena's surprise, Mille didn't flinch. It seemed like the usually moody Stufful was wanting to give a warm welcome to another Alolan native. Athena collected her things and waved goodbye to Miss Lulu.

"Thank you! Hope you can get some rest soon," she told the nurse, then headed out with the two Pokemon behind her